Tactics, learning and the civil-military interface in Europe, 1870 – 1875

Bennett, Mark

Abstract

Almost as striking as the totality of German victory in the Franco-Prussian War is the paucity of contemporary observers who anticipated the result – particularly with an earlier, similarly stunning Prussian victory over Austria to judge by. Confusion was perhaps natural in light of the significance of the tactical and strategic developments represented by these wars. As a result, the lessons learned from these wars were partial, incomplete, and often slow to be implemented: while Britain retained obsolescent muzzle-loading artillery until the 1880s, German infantry clung to the close order of ‘old Prussian drill’ into the First World War.

This chapter explores how the tactical lessons of both wars were received and understood in Britain, France and the German states. In examining a transnational community of interest around the lessons offered by late nineteenth century European conflict, it highlights how the effectiveness of military learning across Europe was limited by preconceptions, misunderstandings, and institutional inertia. It illustrates the ways in which differing interpretations of the wars were mediated and translated across national boundaries, and reunites technical and organisational factors with the irrational moral and national factors which contemporary observers saw as integral to warfare.

Citation

Bennett, M. (2024). Tactics, learning and the civil-military interface in Europe, 1870 – 1875. In K. Varley (Ed.), The Franco-Prussian War: Turning-Points in European Experiences and Perceptions of Military Conflict. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003336792-3

• Online Publication Date: Jun 14, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 14, 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 12, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 15, 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Book Title: The Franco-Prussian War: Turning-Points in European Experiences and Perceptions of Military Conflict
• ISBN: 9781032373928
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003336792-3
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1790507
• Contract Date: Aug 21, 2023